The Soviet Silver Screen: Cinema in the USSR The birth of Soviet cinema is inseparable from the birth of the Soviet state. It wasn't just entertainment, but a tool to…
Selling Socialism: Intourist and the Evolution of Soviet Tourism Tourism was more than just a leisure industry. It was a powerful tool for nation-building. The Soviets understood that control over…
After the Second World War, Bulgaria joined the Soviet-led Eastern Bloc. The new one-party socialist state was heavily influenced by the Soviet Union. The Bulgarian state encouraged playwrights, filmmakers and…
Like its neighbour to the north, Czechoslovakia was a Soviet satellite state. In Czechoslovakia, as in Poland, the cost of importing film posters from abroad was high. Local artists were…
Piety and Propaganda: The Soviet War on Religion In the wake of the 1918 Revolution, the new Communist government embarked on sweeping reforms that extended beyond politics and economics to…
From Fields to Factories: The Glorification of Labor in Soviet Art The hammer and sickle were the tools of the Soviet worker and peasant. But building a strong communist state…
Comrades in Arms: The Brotherhood of Socialist Nations In the aftermath of World War II, the USSR and other socialist nations formed deep bonds. Their friendships were built on ideological…